On the Brink
by randomnessonhigh
Summary: Kouichi refelects on one of his most recent encounters with Raime. One-shot.


"Kouichi, you want to die, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want it right away?"

_Direct to the point, as always._

A bespectacled boy sat at the back of the bus. His head rested against the window next to him. He gazed out and saw nothing but trees. He ran his hand through his hair and scratched the back of his neck. _Why has that scene been playing in my mind?_

He leaned back on his seat and sighed.

He was cheerful by nature and would gladly encourage anyone around him. But, as of now, he wished someone would be the same. The girl that sat next to him was sleeping; her head tilted back, mouth slightly opened and salivating. They were similar, some physical traits -- particularly the hair -- but mostly in ambition.

As most people would want to live forever and experience everything that is to experience, he wants to die. An odd wish for a boy that is barely in his adolesence. But if you've lived different lives for centuries, maybe one would not be so keen as to think dying to be odd.

Yes, he has lived for centuries but only now has this happened to him -- someone has an effect on him.

All the years he lived have given him experience and because of that, he is able to tell the patterns that humans live every century. Peace, sudden boom in technology, war, and then the cycle restarts. Is there nothing new?

Seeing it all and experiencing everything has brought nothing but boredom to his life. And now that he has decided it is time to give it up, something new pops up.

Both his hands ran through his hair. His grip tightening as if determined to pull his hair out. His mind cannot take it, he has to stop thinking about it unless he wants to end up insane -- and of all times, in his last lifetime.

The girl next to him stirred. She stretched and yawned, rubbing her eyes. She saw him as he aimlessly tried to remove his hair, but he ended up throwing his head back and breathed slowly.

She was not the sympathtic type. She knew what this was about, he had talked about it countless times. Why can't he get over it?

"It's her again, isn't it?" she asked.

"What? No, it's nothing," he lied.

"You moron, for centuries you have never acted this way," she yawned, "only now that somebody was actually interested in you that you act this way."

"She's not interested in me," his eyes cast their gaze downward.

"Yeah, right," she sneered. "Why can't you end your life once you've lived properly as Kouichi?" She said in a mockingly high pitched tone.

"She's just concerned about me as Kouichi," he replied glumly.

"Concerned and intereseted are merely a play of words on the same concept. Don't tell me that now you've met her, you'll willingly give up your wish of dying?"

"No," he said definitely. "That is something not even she can knock out of me."

"Well, at least that's good to know."

"I just can't get her out of my mind," he admitted.

"What's this, you're interested in this girl?" she jeered. "Has your human heart completely turned you human, eh, owly?"

True, he did have a human heart. But, he was not human at all. He was once an owl that was experimented on and given a human heart. After his master died, he journeyed on with another animal with the same circumstances he was in. The animal has also endured centuries of patterns and boredom. The cat next to him definitely wants to die.

"I was always human to begin with, I just needed a heart to prove that," he replied more to himself.

"Hey!" She slapped him on the side of his head. He could not understand why she slapped him, and as such he could only stare at his companion until an explanation was given.

"Wake up from this dream you're having! You were never human! You're just a stupid bird who has his head in the clouds after meeting this girl! Get back on the ground and stay focus on what we have to do. We have to make sure that we get our wish. Besides, that girl's really going kill you."

"What do you mean?" he asked puzzled.

"Remember what she told you? She's going uphold her clan's traditions and kill anyone from using Miharu."

"Her brother said that," he pointed out.

"Whatever," she dismissed, "she's the sister, she'll follow suit. She seems like the type."

"Yeah, you're right," he said defeated.

_But why on earth does she care so much? I hate her for it! I've never felt this much hatred for anyone I've known in centuries! But, it's not completely hatred. It's just undescribable. I guess I've never felt this in a long time -- or not at all. _

"So, that's settled," she said with finality.

The bus came to a halt and the two went down.

"Where off to next?" he asked.

"Wherever really," she said, stretching and yawning.

"You cats really are nothing but lazy creatures."

"You birds are dazed flyers," she answered back.

"You're right," he said. "We always have our heads up in the clouds, dreaming and wishing."

"Yeah, right, whatever."

_I guess she is just something new -- the one I've been looking for._


End file.
